SAGINAW -- Saginaw Manager Darnell Earley is planning on getting married, his application to become East Lansing's next manager says.

In his submission letter, Earley writes: "Finally, after eight years of being widowed, I am planning to marry my fiancé of five years.

"She is an elementary teacher in the LansingSchool District. We are looking forward to making our new home in East Lansing..."

Earley has owned a home in Delta Township for 22 years, his application letter says.

He also keeps an apartment in Saginaw.

The manager said he'll spend the next two days interviewing with city officials and city council members in East Lansing, a slightly smaller city with, some might argue, a lot fewer problems than Saginaw.

East Lansing officials have said the position is expected to pay between $135,000 and $165,000.

Earley currently earns $110,000 per year in Saginaw.

"Saginaw has become an example of how to make local units of government work even during the most trying of economic times," Earley wrote in his application, which appears on the East Lansing website. "While we still have our challenges, we are meeting them without crisis; unlike before."

From humble beginnings as a social studies teacher in MuskegonHeights, Earley has risen to become the leader of a city with over 50,000 residents.

He describes his management style as "innovative, bold, team-based and results oriented" with an "open-door" policy that empowers employees.

The GrandValleyStateUniversity graduate with a master's degree from WesternMichiganUniversity lists his interests as golf, hunting, fishing and running.